Envelop.



STEPHENS.

ENVELOP.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 28, 1907.

imgo,

N TED S TESPA ENT OFFICE.

" same J. STEPHENS, or OAlNVILLE, inssonnr g I *nnvnnori no. 906,968. a

To it concern;

Beat known that I, SADIEJ. STEPHENS,

aleitfzen ofthe United .States, residing at 4 .Cainsville, in 'thecounty of Harrison and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Envelope, of

which the following is a specification.

Thisinvention relates to envelops.

Oneobject is to provide an envelopembodying. such characteristics that it cannot be opened without detection.

without departing from the spirit or sacri-' ficing any of the advantagesof the invention. i

' In the drawings :--Figure l is a plan view of the blank from which my improved envelop is formed. Fig. 2 is a rear View of the envelop partly in section, illustrating .tudinal sectional view.

the supporting means for the portion of the back which forms a lining and one wall of the envelop. Fig. 3 is an enlarged longi- Fig. 4 isv a transverse sectional view of the envelop in its folded condition.

The improveddevice comprises a blank. formed with a front portion 1 having a bottom flap 10 at one end and a'closure flap 7 at the other end and with back flaps 9 9 at the sides of the frontflflap, one being wider than the other, and with lining flaps 9-9 at one end of,the back flaps. The front 1 is separated from the back flaps by expansible portions produced by creasing the material along the lines indicated at 1.-2-3 and 4t56. The bottom flap 10 is separated from the front' 1 and the back flaps 9-9 by a foldable line indicated at 2, and the closure flap 7 and the lining flaps 9-9 are separated from the body of the envelop by a crease indicated at 2, the creases being formed in the material in the usual manner to facilitate the folding. EX- tending from the ends of the expansible por- Specification of Lettersl fateiit. Application and March28, 1907. saline-365,045.

1?atented Dec. 15,1908.

tions 1-2- 3 and 4-'56 are tongues 8, the tongues extending between the closure flap 7 and the linii'ig'flaps 9' 9, and separated therefrom by clefts or slits. The tongues are adaptedtobe folded centrally throughout/their lengths along the dotted lines 5.

- The'b'a'c'k flaps 9 -9 are each provided with spaced parallel" transverse slits 11, and the tongues 12, the barbs ofthe tongues adapted to engage the material released by the corresponding slits 11 when the envelop is folded, as indicated iii-Fig. 2 and as here afterexplained.

To fold my improved envelop for blank is'first foldedd'long the line 2*, and

use the thenfolded along the'lines 1, 2 and 3 and at, 5 a'1id'6 to form the sides of the envelop,

it-being understood that the portions of the material between the creases 1, 2 and 3 and 4, and (S formthesides of the envelop. As the material is creased along the lines 2 and 5 in a direction opposite respectively to the folding along the lines 1 and 3 and aland 6, the sides of the envelop are rendered expansible. This folding of the envelop brings the back flaps 9 into overlapping engagement when folded, as shown, in Figs.

2 and 4, the overlapping portions being secured by any suitable adhesive substance in the usual manner.

The bottom flap l0 beneath the crease 53 has its meeting places as the result of the folding of the material glued together, the adhesive substance of the bottom flap passing between the folds of the creases at the bottom of the envelop if desired.

The tongues 8 having been creased along the line 5 in the aforesaid steps are then directed over toward each other in their folded condition, as shown, and glued one within the other to form a firm supporting member over which the lining formed by the parts 9, is folded and directed into the envelop.

,1 provide the lining 9 by reason of the fact that the back flaps 9 are provided with oppositely disposed series of slits 11 to form released strips between them-withwhich c'ooperate the barbed tongues 1.2 of the closure fla 7.

lVhen a thin sheet of paper is inclosed in the envelop. thebarbed tongues 12 will interlock with the lowermost strips 11, while if papers 'of medium thickness, the tongues will cooperate with the intermedlate strips 11 and with'the uppermost strips 11 in the.

event of the envelopment of correspondenceor other material of a comparatively great tended recipient.

--sppndence or other material and that obvi- From the foregoing it will be readily appreciated that by reason of the expansible side of the envelop, the latter can be expanded according to the thickness of cone ous ly ifst he envelop 'is expended to any extent the sealing tongues ofthe sealing flap must interlock with the locking strips 11 other than the ones atithe bottom of the envelop.

What is claimed is 1. An envelop comprising a front portion having aclosure flap at one end, back flaps each having a slit intermediate its ends and also having a liningflap at one end, said back flaps extending from. the sides of the front portion and s expansible portions aving tongues ada ted for overlapping relation at the mouth of. the envelop to support saicllining flap, and a bottom flap, said closure flap having means for cooperation with said slits of the back aced from the front by flaps to seal the envelop, said lining flap terminating short of the bottom flap and free of the back flaps when the envelop is.

folded. v

2. An envelop comprising a front portion having a closure flap at one end, back flaps each having slits intermediate its ends and also having va lining flap at one end, said back flaps extending from the sides ofthe front portion and spaced from the front by expansible portions having tongues, each tongue being directed over the mouth of the envelop and foldable longitudinally upon itself, one tongue fitting within the other folded tongue when disposed across the mouth of the envelop, said lining flapbeing directed over said tongues when the envelop is folded, and a bottom flap, said closure flap having means for cooperation interchangeably with pairs of said slits of the back flaps to close the envelop, said lining being free of the back flaps when the envelop is folded.

In testimony whereof I have signed .my name to this specification in the presence of .two subscribing witnesses.v I

SADIE J. STEPHENS.

Witnesses:

G. R. WILSON, J. E. PETERSON. 

